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Kara DioGuardi talks AI rumors and Lambert effect

“Paula was very nurturing,” DioGuardi says during a Wednesday morning call. “At least for me, during the audition rounds, I tried to give kids the benefit of the doubt and another shot when they had some modicum of talent.”

Now that we’re in Hollywood, however, things are getting serious on American Idol. (Serious.) Even new judge Ellen DeGeneres proved surprisingly sharp during Tuesday’s episode.

DioGuardi talked about her new castmate, dream mentors and all those rumors:

What has Ellen DeGeneres brought to the table?

I think that Ellen brings a sense of humor, of course. But also, I think she knows more about music than you think she does. I think she was critical at times and she gave good feedback that was constructive. You have to remember, we’re being edited. I spent hours with her, and I went through many, many auditions and listened to what she had to say. She had a really good handle on whether a contestant had potential, a star quality.

What’s been the biggest mistake contestants make during Hollywood week?

It’s definitely song choice. They take on something that’s way too big for them, or they go through the audition rounds, we praise them, and then they decide to completely change when they get to Hollywood week. That, and the fact that they stand on that stage and they can’t fill it up. They can’t perform. They can’t project.

Is there an Adam Lambert effect this year?

I think that people were interpreting songs from the get-go in audition week. They weren’t just singing them the way they were sung by the people who originally recorded them. They were kind of taking some risks, and I like that. And maybe that is because of Adam (Lambert). That’s definitely a sign of good artists.

Who would you like to see as a mentor this season?

I really like Harry Connick, Jr. I think he would be great, especially for standards or maybe even jazz. I love Meatloaf. I think he’d be fun for rock. We actually recorded a song recently, and I was very impressed with the way he sort of brought out a different side of me vocally. He kind of has a method-acting background, and he applied it to singing and performance. At first I was like, ‘Whoa, guy, back up’ It had a definitely interesting result.

Is there any truth to the talk of tension between Ellen DeGeneres and Simon Cowell?

I think you have to take any rumor you hear about American Idol with a grain of salt. They’re usually not true. Last year, it was Kara and Paula fighting, hate each other. These things are just ridiculous. We’re all there to do one thing, and that’s to find the greatest American Idol winner we can find — and I know Ellen and Simon both take that seriously.

What’s your opinion on Howard Stern replacing Cowell?

Right now, that’s a rumor. I don’t think he has a musical background or any kind of music anything. If you’re going to be replace Simon, you have to be somebody who knows about signing great artists and being a part of their career from the very beginning to the very end.

Is this a girl’s year to win?

I would love to see a girl win. I think that this year, especially with what’s going on in music currently, it’s the woman’s movement. You’ve got Taylor Swift, you’ve got Beyoncé, you’ve got Ke$ha, you’ve got Katy Perry, you have Lady Gaga. You have these very unique women at the forefront of the music industry that all have their own voices and styles. Just looking at the pool of talent we have this year, it’s similar to that. I do think it’s a lot easier to break women than men, actually, in terms of records once the show is done.

American Idol airs at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and 8 p.m. Wednesdays on Fox. Join me on Twitter for recaps, live updates and all things AI.

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.